Mail-bag catcher.



J. S. SHEPHERD.

MAIL BAG GATGHEB.

APPLICATION FILED MAB..11, 1909.

Patented May18, 1909. a

.m x N w a: .m m 2g 0 J i :51: 1 '1 v Witnesses UN E STA JOSEPH S. SHEPHERD, OF VINTON, VIRGINIA.

MAIL-BAG- CATCHER.

Application filed March 11, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrir S. SHEPHERD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Vinton, county of Roanoke, State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Bag Catchers, of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view showing my device ready to receive a mail-pouch; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the casing containing the ratchet mechanism, the top of the casing being removed Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and, Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of the looking or holding fork.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple attachment for the ordinary pouchreceiving hook now employed on mail-cars which when operatively connected to the hook will automatically lock the pouch in the crook of the hook and thus prevent the pouch rebounding out of the hook and fall ing to the track-bed, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, a designates the usual rotary horizontal rod extending across the doorway of the car and provided with the operating handle I) and the usual receiving hook c. The casing d is detachably attached to the rod a by means of a suitable clamp loop 6 and by means of a pair of hooks f adapted to engage an adjacent portion of the hook 0, whereby the casing is supported in a horizontal position in front of the mouth of the hook c.

IVorking longitudinally through the casing cl is a rack-bar g and pivotally attached to the outer end thereof by a vertical pivot h is a rearwardly extending bar t whose rear end is bifurcated to straddle the shank or neck portion of the hook c, this bifurcation being for the purpose of guiding the bar in. its swinging movements. Engaging the rackbar is a cog-gear attached to a vertical shaft 7: journaled in the casing and connected to a clock-sprin Z which normally tends to rotate the shaftfir and thus project the rackbar. On the shaft is are two ratchet wheels m and n whose teeth are faced in opposite directions. A pawl m is held normally in engagement with the wheel m and a pawl n is held normally in engagement with the wheel a. By means of a cam m the pawl m may be held out of engagement and by Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Serial No. 482,730.

means of a cam a the pawl n may likewise be locked away from its companion ratchet wheel. The cam m is provided with an operating thumb-piece m and the cam is provided with a similar thumb-piece a. The shaft 7r has one of its ends squared at 0 for the application of a key or wrench to wind up the spring Z and draw back the rack-bar.

A trip-arm p is pivoted at p and extended outwardly beyond the casing across the mouth of the hook c, and the inner extremity of this arm is formed into a pawl 29 which is adapted to engage the ratchet wheel a. The position of the device when set ready for op eration is shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2. In this position the trip-arm p extends across the mouth of the hook c and its pawl 29 engages ratchet wheel a and thus locks the rack bar in its innermost position, in which position the locking or clamping arm 71 will he as shown in Fig. 1. In this position the pawl m is left free to rest against its wheel m while the pawl n is held away from its wheel a. When the incoming bag strikes arm p and throws it back to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, pawl p is disengaged from ratchet wheel a and thus releases the spring actuated shaft 76. This will permit the shaft 7c to quickly turn and project the rack-bar, thereby throwing the locking bar t across the mouth of the hook c which action will lock or clamp the pouch in the crook of the hook.

To re-set the apparatus the pawl 77/ is released and the pawl m locked out of action. The rack-bar is then drawn back to its original position in which position it will be locked by the pawl a. When thus drawn back the trip arm is swung around across the mouth of the hook, in which position its pawl 29 will he again in engagement with ratchet wheel a. The pawl a is then looked out of action and the pawl m is released. The apparatus is then ready for another operation.

It will be observed that the rack-bar may be withdrawn by taking hold of the handle g at its inner end or by simply rotating shaft 7c by means of the crank-wrench applied to the angular part 0.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is z- 1. In combination with a pouch-receiving hook, a frame adapted for attachment thereto, a reciprocating spring-projected rack-bar therein carrying means for closing the mouth of the hook when the rack-bar is projected, and a tripping-pawl having an extension lying in the path of the incoming pouch.

2. In com ination with a pouch-receiving hook; a frame or sup ort detaohably connected thereto; a rackar slidablymounted in said frame; means'for projecting said rackbar embodying a pinion, .lashaft aespring a double pawl and ratchet mechanism, and a tripping pawl device.

3. The combination with .a pouch-receiving hook, of a frame thereon, a sliding rack bar in said frame and spring means forpro jjecting it, a pivoted plate on the outer end of the rack-bar adapted when the rack-bar is projected to swing across the mouth of the ook, .a ratchet device for controlling the movements of the rack-bar, and a trip de- VICB.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature :in .the-presence of two witnesses this 9th day of March 1909.

JOSEPH S. SHEPHERD.

Witnesses: I 7

.S, ,SH-ACKLEFORD,

EFF-IE WINFREY. 

